Unfinished jobs and defects requiring rework had been gumming up the assembly process in Renton and contributed to the critical installation error that caused the Alaska blowout.

Work at Spirit was slowed drastically and every fuselage is now carefully inspected before leaving Wichita.

“Our teams have made critical improvements to the quality management system over the past six months,” Shanahan said Monday. “Those improvements will continue.”

“The work that we’ve undertaken is to make changes that are enduring, mistake-proofing a number of the critical operations,” he added.

And he contends the future for both companies will be more secure when Boeing takes back in-house those Spirit units that make the entire Max fuselage and the forward fuselage of all its other jets, in addition to other major Boeing components.

“Bringing Boeing and Spirit together will enable greater integration. … It’ll bring together their safety and quality systems and make them better,” Shanahan said. “The new organization will be faster and more nimble.”

“This is a fabulous industry,” he concluded. “I’m proud of playing the role of making it stronger and better.”

Analysts warn there’ll be no quick fix

For its part of the deal, Boeing pays $4.7 billion in stock, or $37.25 per share, and also takes on Spirit’s net debt of about $3.6 billion.

Meanwhile Spirit will pay Airbus $559 million to take off its hands the money-bleeding facilities making A350 and A220 parts.

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